Swerving for an animal can make a car accident more likely

Posted By
Freidin Brown, P.A.

We have discussed many
Florida car accidents involving animals in previous posts, including the recent accident in
which a Dade City woman was killed after swerving to avoid a dog. The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 173 people died
in 2009 due to animal-related accidents and that another 12,000 crashes
caused personal injuries that year, which is the most recent year that
data are available.

It is important to note that crashes involving animals are typically fatal
not because the car hit the animal, but because a driver lost control
of his or her car while attempting to avoid hitting the animal. That is
why it is generally better to hit an animal rather than swerve to avoid it.

"These crashes happen so fast, often times drivers don't have
the option of making a decision about what to do," said a spokesman
for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, "but the best thing,
unfortunately, in most cases is to hit the animal and try to avoid swerving
or doing something that could cause you to lose control and hit somebody
else or an object or go off the road and roll over."

Most fatalities in these crashes could also be prevented by wearing helmets
or seatbelts, the spokesman said. Fortunately for Miami residents, deer
account for the vast majority of crashes involving animals. While it is
unlikely that a South Floridian is going to hit a deer, the recent crash
involving the Dade City woman who swerved for a dog should serve as a
precautionary tale for any driver in the state.

Source: The Associated Press, "Swerving can be worse than hitting animal on
road," Jan. 11, 2012